Darren Coggan and Damien Leith bring their show, dedicated to the most inspiring songwriters of all time, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, to Wonthaggi.
Two Of Us – The Songs of Lennon and McCartney is a magical, intimate and acoustic portrait of the songs that changed the world.
The songbook traverses immortal songs from The Beatles treasure trove of pop history, along with the richness and diversity of Lennon and McCartney’s solo careers.
Darren and Damien both have a long history of writing and performing, garnering acclaim from audiences throughout Australia.
Over the years, their paths have crossed on the road many times. It was a love of The Beatles that finally sparked them to seize the opportunity and the concept for Two of Us was created.
To keep the songs true to how they would have sounded back when they were first penned, Darren and Damien keep it uncomplicated on stage, just a guitar, a piano and two voices.
“Imagine hearing those songs as they were first written,” said Darren.
“As a songwriter myself, I really enjoy the feeling of performing songs in their original form, there is something very honest and emotionally raw that seems to allow the songs to breathe.
A great song will always be able to stand up on its own, just on a guitar, or a piano, and as we all know, the songbook of Lennon and McCartney is filled with such gems.”
For Damien, The Beatles have consistently inspired him throughout his career.
“So many occasions in my life have a Beatles song associated in my memory,” Damien says.
“Their melodies, their words, their song structures – it is absolute genius. The show so far has had an unbelievable response, we’re blown away by it.
“Darren and I both like to have a chat on stage, so not only are audiences hearing their favourite Beatles songs, but the show has a very personable feeing to it.”
The two-hour show is back-to-back hits – songs like Hey Jude, All You Need Is Love, Help, Imagine, Mull of Kintyre, Eleanor Rigby, Let It Be, Jealous Guy, Beautiful Boy and Blackbird are just the tip of the iceberg.
Darren says these songs are still as relevant to music fans today as when they were first penned.
“The stories and the messages in these songs are timeless – their messages of peace and love are still so relevant in our world today, perhaps even more so.
“These songs were all written before I was born, but yet they still sound so fresh and infectious, they have become part of the fabric of our existence and the foundation of popular music as we know it today. The songs of Lennon and McCartney will outlive us all.”
Tickets to Darren Coggan and Damien Leith’s Two of Us – The Songs Of Lennon and McCartney are on sale now. Thursday, July 7 at Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre.
